


Sleeping On The Job

by Birdfluff



Category: Half-Life
Genre: Developing Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-05-14 22:39:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5761603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdfluff/pseuds/Birdfluff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by this prompt from otpprompts on tumblr: Person A and Person B stay up late, and Person A decide to fake sleep, thinking it’ll be interesting. Person B believes they’re asleep, and confesses their love for Person A. How Person A reacts is up to you.<br/>I did make a few modifications to the prompt for simplicity</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleeping On The Job

Staying up late and getting up early, Gordon knew it wasn't healthy yet his work was required to be done before the next sunrise. Although, somehow, his work is always punctual and precise even with sleep deprivation. It didn't stop his friend, Barney, from worrying about him.

“You really should try taking naps during your breaks,” Calhoun suggested, noticed his friend blinking in and out of their conversation.

Gordon shook his head and signed, 'that's against regulation, Barney. It's unprofessional.'

“That doesn't stop me.”

'I am not surprised.'

“Why don't I keep watch while you get some shut eye, huh?”

He declined his offer.

“Do you even sleep, Gordon?”

Freeman glared at him for his teasing tone, 'I do sleep.'

“Yeah? How many hours?”

'Four or three at most.' Watching his friend's eyes grow huge inspired him to try to fix his mistake with rapid hand motions.

“Just stop, doc,” he sighed through his nose, “You need to ask for a week off. This job is eating you alive.”

He replied with a stern no.

“I know you're serious about this but your health is important too. You can't be relying on caffeine and who knows what you take to stay awake forever.”

Freeman shifted in his spot, fiddling with his lab coat's cuffs. A frown tugged at his lips as Barney absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck, “Gordon, how are you even going to make it through tonight? I've been telling you that all your hard work isn't going to pay off and now they're making you do this. I still can't believe it.”

'My hard work has paid off in many ways, Barney. I just have to stay after hours for one night. I'll be fine.'

Calhoun stared at him skeptically, “Oh yea? Tell that to me again when I find you drooling on your paperwork.”

Gordon's face grew scarlet as he quickly signed, 'It won't happen and I don't drool!'

“Prove it to me then. I'll come around midnight to check up on you and if I find you sleeping...” his voice trailed off.

'You will what?'

“You'll find out, Freeman.”

Calling him by his surname, Barney earned a small pout from the silent scientist that brought a smile to his features. Gordon was adorable.

~~~ 

“Well, well, well, sleeping on the job, eh Doc?” Calhoun tsked at the sight at his friend hunched over his desk with his eyes shut tight. He sauntered over to him and prodded him with the bunt of his flashlight, “c'mon, time to wake up.”

Freeman didn't budge.

Silently, the security guard stacked a couple of large heavy books and lifted them up above the desk... to then proceed to drop them, creating a obnoxiously loud thud against the wood. The doctor did not stir.

“Holy shit...” He blinked out of his trance and began to ponder how else to wake him up. After multiple different attempts, whacking him once with a ruler, flicking the lights on and off, blowing air into his ear, nothing worked. Interesting how his friend who jumped at any sudden noises or movements was such a heavy sleeper.

Giving up, Barney moved a chair over to the other side of the desk and sat down, “I ain't leaving until you wake up, Gordon. I know you need sleep, bud, but I also don't want you to lose your job too. I imagine these are pretty important... I hope you're not drooling on them—nope, you're not.”

The security guard took a breath and leaned against the back of his chair, eyeing his friend's sleeping state. He noted his crooked head that pressed on the edge of his glasses, no doubt imprinting a mark in his head.

“You're going to break those sleeping that way,” carefully he nudged Gordon's head to the side and removed his rectangle glasses. Out of curiosity, he squinted through the lenses, “farsighted, huh, doc? At least your vision isn't totally awful.”

He set the pair down away from his person, in case he could accidentally crush them with his elbows. His gaze traveled back to Freeman once more.

“Is.. is that a smile, doc? I'd be amazed if you can actually hear me in there with what shit I did to wake you up.” Calhoun chuckled to himself. This led to him thinking, which then led to a mischievous glint in his eye.

“If you wake up from this, I am so dead,” he reached over and ran his fingers through his hair. It was... not soft, as if he hadn't brushed it in weeks. This was unexpected, since Gordon was such a neat freak. Barney then recalled that Gordon brings an extra shirt and pair of pants to work in his briefcase every day without fail. This could never not bring amusement to him. It was so normal now.. how he fussed over how unkempt Barney hair was or that he had dirt coated on his face from field work. There was a time during a lecture, one of his coworkers had a stain on his tie and Gordon could not concentrate on anything else. The time Freeman scolded him for patting his head, how he didn't want it to be mess up, as if he had planned to go on a date later. As he reminisced, Calhoun grinned broadly while his hand stroked his sleeping friend's hair.

He had told Gordon on many occasions, so, so many times, how cute he was ever since the first day he was hired. The cutest scientist he had ever seen. Gordon's face would flare up each time and have this adorable confused look on his face. Has no one ever called you cute, Barney had asked. The silent doctor just shrugged. It was teasing, of course, but it held truth. He loved to see him flustered as well.

“God, doc, you really know how to catch someone in your little hook,” he finally removed his hand from his head, giggling. His gaze had drifted down to the desk, “You just want me to think about you, don't you? Everything you do is funny... but, you know, in a good way. I know I say it a lot, but I have never met anyone as quirky like you. I guess that was the hook, huh? Now, I'm stuck... Eheh, now look at me, I'm talking in metaphors. You're making me sick.”

The worktable shifted underneath his elbows. As his heart skipped, his head shot up to see Gordon sitting up, squinting at his figure.

Nonchalantly he beamed, “He-eey, you've finally woke up. That took, what? Almost an hour? Told you, you couldn't do it. I tried to wake you up, but you were hard sleepin'. I had no idea you were--”

He stopped to read his hands. 'I have been up for a while.'

Everything grew numb and flared up like a forest fire inside him. Calhoun lost the ability to communicate for a few seconds before jerking himself out of his trance, “Oh! Ohh... so you heard it all then?”

'You have been talking out loud for the past fifteen minutes.'

Quietly gulping and rubbing his neck, he continued on, as he watched the doctor search then put on his glasses, “So.. you woke up from the sound of my own voice, but not these books that I dropped? Damn. I don't know whether to be impressed or--”

'Am I making you sick?'

He fidgeted in his seat, “N-not as in illness, doc.”

'I know that much.'

“Then... yes, you are.”

'You love me?'

For a moment air was caught in his throat, “Y..es”

Freeman nodded solemnly, his eyebrows knitted.

This caused him to fidget more, rolling his neck, straightening his posture, “This... doesn't ruin our friendship, does it?”

'It does.'

From the devastated look on his face, Gordon frantically signed his heart out.

“Whoa! I can read that fast, doc...”

Shaking, he started from the beginning at a slower pace, 'Not like that! I am sorry.'

His hands held stiff as his mind spun. There was many ways he could say this yet none presented themselves to him. He kept his head down to avoid Barney's eyes that were glued onto his person. He felt nervous even though their feelings were mutual. He shouldn't be. It was Barney, he reassured, been friends for years. It's just Barney. Perhaps it was the rush of it all or his brain on overdrive causing him to shake and hesitate. Slowly his hands moved, 'I love you too.'

The room held absolute stillness. Relief washed over the security guard, “... Oh. Thank God.”

'I am sorry!'

“Heh, it's fine. Uh, look, we'll talk about it later. Why don't you get that finished, since you're awake..." he couldn't help smirking, "Unless you're gonna fall asleep again?”

The mute doctor gave him a swift no and set himself back to work.

With that smug smirk stuck on his face, Calhoun got up from his chair and proceeded to exit the room, “I'm gonna finish my shift. Want me to drive you home?”

Watching his back straighten and his head jerk around, nearly knocking his glasses askew, Barney coughed back his laughter. The scientist shook his head once more.

“You sure? I don't want you getting into an accident now.”

'I can drive fine.'

“I don't want you to prove that to me. I'll be back—Don't you get up!" he pointed at the scientist, who was taken aback by the abrupt serious gesture, "I've already made up my mind. I'm driving you home, got it?"

His hands fell limp at his sides with that pout again. A puff of exasperation escaped from him as Freeman stiffly turned back to his worktable, defeated.

“Good. See you in a bit then.” Before exiting the room, he playfully flicked the lights a few times until finally leaving the switch alone in the on position after Gordon glowered at him long enough. 


End file.
